Chapter 723: Another Kind of Asymmetric Warfare
The power of money was now on full display.
Charles, having unified military, political, and commercial spheres into a single body, had once suffered the consequences of that fusion. But now that his influence had grown, the benefits far outweighed the drawbacks.
The Minister of the Navy had authority?
Fine—crush it with wealth.
Charles might not hold more political sway than the Minister, but he was certainly richer.
And while his personal fortune may not match that of Schneider or the Wentail family, Charles had something neither of them possessed: military command.
And while he might not formally outrank Foch, the overall commander, Charles controlled the supplies.
In essence, he was playing chess against Go champions and Go against chess masters—systematically outmaneuvering everyone until they were all checkmated.
This was a different form of asymmetric warfare.
…
Paris City Hall, third floor – Office of the Minister of the Navy
The fire crackled warmly in the hearth. The Minister of the Navy sat comfortably by the fire, sharing drinks with Nihon's naval attaché, Akira Miyamoto.
"I offer my sincere thanks on behalf of France, Mr. Miyamoto," said the Minister, lounging on the sofa, legs crossed. He raised his wineglass casually. "For offering assistance at a time when France finds itself in great difficulty."
Miyamoto leapt to his feet. "You are too kind. It is… our duty. We are very honored to contribute to this war effort."
His French was stiff, choppy—each word arriving like a dropped stone, still rooted in the cadence of his native language.
"But…" the Minister's tone shifted. "You must understand that the war has entered a crucial phase. We urgently need these ships. They represent the safety of our supply lines."
"Yes, of course," Miyamoto nodded and bowed. "Rest assured, sir. We will complete them with utmost speed."
"And regarding the price…"
"Please don't worry," Miyamoto bowed again. "The cost will not exceed what your country would pay for its own ships. If it does, we will cover the excess ourselves."
The Minister of the Navy was pleased.
Everything had gone smoothly. And better yet, this eliminated Brest's shipyards from the equation before they could get back on their feet.
Perfect.
He pulled out a cigar, and Miyamoto hurried to light it for him.
Just as the Minister was exhaling his first puff of smoke, a staffer approached with a telegram.
The Minister glanced at it—and immediately frowned.
He set the cigar aside and turned to the staffer with a flash of anger in his voice. "It's from Charles, isn't it?"
"No, Minister," the staffer replied. "It's from Mr. Wells. But he says this order came directly from Charles. And if you want to cancel it, you'll need to speak to Charles personally."
The Minister rubbed his forehead and let out a long breath.
He knew this was a dead end.
Charles only needed to say one thing to block all his pressure:
"If you disagree, then you cover the cost, Minister."
Before, the Minister might have leveraged national interest:
"Please, General—think of France."
"Shipbuilding takes steel and manpower. That means fewer munitions and gear for the army, which increases casualties. We must balance the bigger picture."
"Don't worry—we'll still deliver the warships you need, and the army won't suffer."
Under that kind of logic, Charles would have no grounds to disagree without looking selfish and unpatriotic.
But now…
Charles had simply expanded the order. In addition to 10 warships for Brest, he would now purchase 10 more from Nihon.
And suddenly, the ball was back in the Minister's court—with no way to say no.
After a pause, the Minister turned to Miyamoto. "Can you accept more orders?"
His hope was to overwhelm Charles with Nihon's production capacity.
If Charles wanted to flex his wealth? Fine—let's see how far that wealth goes.
But Miyamoto's answer disappointed him.
"I'm terribly sorry, Minister," he said, bowing 90 degrees in panic. "Building the current ten destroyers already requires full capacity from all our shipyards. We cannot accept further orders at this time. Please forgive me."
The Minister gave a vague grunt of acknowledgment, then hesitated before asking with veiled frustration, "You've heard of Charles, haven't you, Mr. Miyamoto?"
"Yes, of course," Miyamoto said eagerly. "I've heard many stories of his brilliance. He is a most exceptional commander—"
Mid-sentence, Miyamoto noticed the Minister's expression shift, and he stopped at once.
He'd said something wrong.
Of course—the Minister was jealous of Charles.
The Minister bit down on his cigar, blowing smoke as if to hide his irritation. "The payment for those ships—it comes from Charles. He'd like to speak with you directly."
Miyamoto's eyes widened. He stared in disbelief. "You mean—General Charles? He wants to speak… with me?"
It was said that Charles was now the most powerful general in France. And it seemed that rumor was true—even the Minister of the Navy couldn't oppose him.
To speak with Charles directly? This was a golden opportunity for Nihon to show its allegiance and gain favor with a leading figure of the West.
This was it—proof that all their efforts were paying off!
Too excited, Miyamoto's delight showed clearly on his face.
The Minister cast a cold glance at him.
Miyamoto caught himself and quickly bowed again, feigning modesty. "A-ah—of course. Though it seems rather unusual. Clearly, you, Minister, would be the most appropriate person…"
"He's at the City Defense Headquarters," the Minister interrupted flatly. "Speak with him first. We'll discuss the rest afterward."
"Yes! I am deeply sorry. Please excuse me!" Miyamoto bowed again like a scolded child and quickly left.
…
City Defense Headquarters
Charles was in the middle of a briefing with Gallieni about the Meuse River offensive.
"In one day and night, Foch's army has only advanced 36 kilometers," Gallieni said, pointing at the map. "That's not ideal."
Lieutenant Colonel Fernand offered an explanation: "The Germans deployed Stormtrooper units. They're using your tactics, General—riding sidecars through forests and trails to harass our supply lines. Foch is having to advance slowly and garrison every route to protect his logistics."
This was the drawback of having no mechanized or armored units—infantry couldn't respond quickly to sudden strikes.
The result: hundreds of thousands of troops bogged down, inching forward.
Gallieni looked uneasy. "If this continues, the German main force may escape the encirclement."
But Charles wasn't worried. He remained confident. "The pace will pick up soon."
Gallieni blinked. Then he looked at the map and understood.
"Buzancy has the First Mechanized Division?"
"Yes," Charles nodded. "The surrounding area is full of rivers. Most bridges and roads are already blocked by the mechanized division. Even the Stormtroopers will struggle there."
At the end of the day, the Stormtroopers were still infantry—and against Tijani's mechanized division, they'd be crushed.
Just then, a guard entered. "General, the Nihon naval attaché is downstairs. He'd like to speak with you."
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1